How Hong Kong fashion icon Joyce Ma shaped the city’s luxury lifestyle space

There was little concept or access to global fashion brands in Hong Kong during the ’70s and ’80s. Luxury European labels such as Chanel, Dior, and Louis Vuitton were mainly sold to the United States and Japan markets.

It is this backdrop that Ma introduced brands such as Balenciaga, Lanvin and Yves Saint Laurent in Hong Kong through Joyce Boutique. When the Japanese avant-garde designer trio Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons by Rei Kawakubo first entered the Paris market, Ma was also early in recognising their luxury potential, which resulted in a fruitful friendship.

Ma also pushed for the likes of Jil Sander, Oscar de la Renta and Missoni for their elegant and chic style, drawing the map of Hong Kong’s fashion world. American department stores Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s showed praise for Joyce Boutique at the time too, which earned Ma the reputation of being “Asia’s number one buyer”.